Wisconsin mulls renaming Highway 45 in Harley-Davidson's honor

Publish Date:

Aug 23, 2013

NEW BERLIN, Wis. – A group of riders and business leaders are intent on renaming U.S. Highway 45 in Wisconsin the Harley-Davidson Heritage Highway of Honor.

The group announced their legislative initiative on Aug. 23, and it already has the backing of Gov. Scott Walker, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal. The ceremonial naming requires the approval of both houses of the state Legislature and Walker’s signature.

The name change would apply to Wisconsin’s portion of U.S. 45, a north-south highway stretching 1,300 miles from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico. The highway passes two Harley-Davidson facilities, one on Capitol Drive in Wauwatosa and another on Pilgrim Road in Menomonee Falls.

“I believe Wisconsin’s elected officials appreciate what Harley-Davidson has done to promote our state, and the company has demonstrated a great ability to be Wisconsin’s ambassador for tourism and economic growth,” said Dave Zien, a former state senator from Eau Claire and a member of Harley-Davidson’s Million Mile Rider Club,. “To many people throughout the world, Wisconsin is synonymous with great cheese, the Green Bay Packers and Harley-Davidson.”